Across the University of Florida, our 16 colleges, numerous institutes, and health care facilities embrace our shared mission of outreach and service to improve and enrich our community, nation, and the world. UF in the Community spotlights the impact of UF in our region.

Although UF has students and employees throughout the state, North Central Florida is home to much of our faculty and staff and to our 50,000+ students. Like all area residents, we want a vibrant, safe, healthy, and equitable place in which to live and thrive. Here are some of the ways in which we are enhancing our shared community.​

Dr. Nicole Iovine Discusses Vaccines, the Delta Variant and More

UF researchers studying the use of a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment paired with cognitive training have found the therapy holds promise as an effective, drug-free approach for someday warding off Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

The City of Gainesville is converting NW 14th and 15th Streets from University Avenue to NW Fifth Avenue from two-way streets to a one-way pair. Work on NW 15th Street is nearing completion, and NW 14th Street is expected to be complete in August.

This project is part of the Vision Zero action plan designed to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes, and the conversion of these streets from two-way to one-way will reduce potential conflicts between vehicles and bicyclists and pedestrians at the intersections with University Avenue. The reconfigured streets maintain existing on-street parking and add bicycle lanes.

The UF College of Medicine has launched the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, or PM&R, the first time in 30 years a new clinical department has been formed. The new department works to improve the functional abilities and quality of life for people with physical impairments or disabilities.

PM&R fills an important need at UF Health by providing a medical home for inpatient and outpatient individuals who require long-term care, like those who have experienced a stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, neuromuscular disease, musculoskeletal or sports injury, back pain, congenital disability or limb amputation.

According to new research from the UF Warrington College of Business, a “like” is not worth much, especially if you’re a company looking to drive sales through social media. In a forthcoming study in the Journal of Interactive Marketing, JCPenney Professor of Marketing Richard Lutz and Georgia Tech’s Tim Halloran (DBA ’18) studied various types of digital consumer engagement on Facebook to determine if and what kinds of engagements are linked to future purchases. 

UF Health survey of parents and caregivers of youth baseball pitchers in North Central Florida found that 83% of the nearly 100 quizzed were unaware of the existence of safe pitching guidelines. It is a disquieting trend researchers believe points to a wider problem beyond the region. This lack of knowledge was true regardless of a player’s experience level.

“It’s really important that somebody is watching the players closely to make sure they aren’t pitching too much so we can minimize the risk of injury,” said Farmer, an associate professor in the UF College of Medicine’s department of orthopaedics and senior author of the journal article.

See more and link to guidelines at:

Working in labs and fields across Florida, a new generation of students will start earning a Ph.D. in plant breeding from the University of Florida – the first program of its kind in Florida and one of a few in the nation.

Through plant breeding, researchers try to ensure crops and ornamental plants resist diseases, pests, droughts and flooding. They also hope to make sure the fruits taste good and that plants emit a wonderful aroma and look beautiful.

Students at the University of Florida led the charge to harvest and donate nearly one ton of peaches to Gainesville food pantries.

Throughout the year, the UF/IFAS peach trees are used by faculty and students, primarily for research including work with Florida peach producers in harvesting by growing smaller plants.